May 2023 Vertebrate Fossil Of The Month Poll

[digit]

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries.

 

The poll ends June 9th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE

 

1. Hesperocyon gregarius canid - Oligocene, White River Frm - Nebraska

 

2. Hyracodon nebraskensis rhinoceros  - Oligocene, White River Fm - Nebraska

 

3. Hadrosaurid ungual w/ pathology - Late Cretaceous, Campanian, Dinosaur Park Formation, (76.5-74.4 Ma) - Alberta, Canada 

 

4. Diodon sp. porcupinefish mouthplate -  Pleistocene, Waimanalo Fm (130 Ka) -Oahu, Hawaii

 

5. Peripristis semicircularis shark tooth - Late Pennsylvanian, Kasimovian, Glenshaw Fm - Brooke County, West Virginia

 

6. Ptychodus atcoensis shark tooth - Cretaceous,  Atco Fm - Ash Grove Quarry, Midlothian Texas

[Doctor Mud]

What a tough decision!

congratulations everyone on your finds. 
 

 

[dingo2]

What happened to the turtle skull?

[Fin Lover]

5 minutes ago, dingo2 said:

What happened to the turtle skull?

I thought I was losing my mind...I know I saw it on here previously because it kept me from entering, but now it's not here.  

[Doctor Mud]

1 hour ago, dingo2 said:

What happened to the turtle skull

 

 

1 hour ago, Fin Lover said:

I thought I was losing my mind

I asked the same question. @digit informed me via PM that it didn’t meet the criteria for “Significant prep in the month of entry”

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Doctor Mud

[Fin Lover]

Thanks @Doctor Mud.  I personally think it makes more sense to address it rather than just delete everything.  I've seen several people not follow basic entry guidelines throughout the past year and they are still allowed to enter and are asked again for the information.  So, I think it's important (1) so people know why the fossil they were planning to vote for disappeared and (2) so we learn from others' mistakes.  But, as you mentioned, it's up to the admin to decide, and I'm sure they handled it the way they felt was best.

[digit]

There are drop-dead gorgeous finds that are really museum quality but don't fit into the confines of our monthly contest. This should not take away from the fact that the finder discovered a drool-worthy fossil. Winning a little digital badge should pale in comparison to the experience of finding something that we'd all dream of encountering. The staff hopes that this monthly contest is just something that allows members to show off their best finds each month and we truly hope the competition doesn't get out of hand. Each month I'm jealous of all of the finds that I cobble together into the polls that we vote for. We hope that everybody enjoys this corner of the forum and doesn't get to obsessed with winning a little award so that we can keep the competition enjoyable and friendly. The contest is for fossils we find each month and as a result those in southern latitudes (like Florida) do best in the winter months when the rains abate. Those in the northern climes hunt in the summer and often amass interesting specimens that are only revealed from the matrix when the snow drifts pile high and the temps dip low and the preppers work on revealing their summer finds. We've made allowances for those who could not enter fossils obscured by matrix as they were found to allow them to prep them to reveal the hidden fossil. We've had to set rules to require the bulk of the preparation to be completed in the contest month to keep the contests fair. It is not uncommon for entries to be pulled because they do not meet the set requirement that we have for the contest. We hope that the finders of these stunning prizes can enjoy the adulation by posting their finds (sometimes with enviable trip reports) in separate topics. We have to apply the rules consistently and sometimes interesting fossils don't fit into the monthly contest. Sometimes interesting fossils don't meet the rules but we hope the enjoyment of making such a remarkable find is not tempered by not being able to obtain a small digital badge of recognition. The goal behind this monthly contest has always been to allow members to post their enviable finds and not to take the competition too seriously. I guarantee no member would trade their wonderful fossils for a digital award and we hope the finds are the prizes each month and the recognition is merely secondary.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[digit]

2 minutes ago, Fin Lover said:

Thanks @Doctor Mud.  I personally think it makes more sense to address it rather than just delete everything.  I've seen several people not follow basic entry guidelines throughout the past year and they are still allowed to enter and are asked again for the information.  So, I think it's important (1) so people know why the fossil they were planning to vote for disappeared and (2) so we learn from others' mistakes.  But, as you mentioned, it's up to the admin to decide, and I'm sure they handled it the way they felt was best.

When there is a question to the admissibility of a particular fossil, we generally discuss this with the finder via PM. We try to apply the rules very evenly and at times fossils are not deemed qualified for the current month's contest. Again, we hope the person who discovers enviable fossils isn't so intent on winning a silly internet contest that they lose track of having found a wondrous fossil from the past. The contest should never supersede the drool-worthy fossils each month. That's why we always encourage entries even when there seems to be a shoo-in winner in the contest. These contest should be a part of the forum where we can look forward to enviable fossils each month and not a contest that means more than the fossils themselves.

 

The rules for entry are posted each month. More often than not we find an entry that doesn't conform to the rules we've placed to try to keep things fair and fun. We try to apply these rules evenly each month and sometimes that means a memorable fossil doesn't meet the requirements for the current month's contest and doesn't make it to the polling. Social media has tried to train us to accumulate awards and achieve levels but TFF has always been a more mellow and less chaotic forum where the fossils, camaraderie, and knowledge sharing has been more important that trying to 'win the internet'. It's what makes us different and a bit special and we walk the tight-wire each month trying to hold a contest to celebrate our collective finds without taking it too seriously. We encourage participation each month but we really hope nobody has sleepless nights fretting over a contest that is nothing compared to the incredible fossils we see each month.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Fin Lover]

Thanks, Ken.  Yes, I agree that people should enter a fossil they are proud of, even if they believe it won't win.  I didn't enter one that I considered entering, but part of the reason was that I couldn't determine the epoch and formation before the deadline, and part was that I knew I didn't have a chance anyway, so the inability to get it entered in time was not a big deal.  But, if the point is to celebrate and showcase the amazing finds, then why delete the entry completely and delete posts where people inquire about where it went?  We don't allow members to delete their posts (even when they are embarrassed by their questions) so that we can all learn from them, so it seems like we could learn more by leaving the entries there and simply being informed that it doesn't meet the guidelines.  

 

I understand that it must be difficult to set guidelines that seem fair to everyone and allow for prep, etc., and I know you put a lot of work into the monthly contests.  I, like all members, greatly appreciate this.  I can't imagine that you want to have to tell someone that their entry does not meet the guidelines.  It's just confusing on our end when we know we saw something but it has seemingly disappeared without a trace.  

[JohnJ]

4 hours ago, Fin Lover said:

then why delete the entry completely and delete posts where people inquire about where it went? 

It's a fair question.  I over the years, we've found that most people are not enthusiastic about public discussions regarding why their entry did not qualify.  In a few cases, any ensuing discussion would devolve into the pointless drama we do not promote or want to attract.  The rules are simple and qualification is not a public debate.  Thus, our policy for well over a decade has been to handle this privately.  If there is any confusion about an entry, just send an inquiry to one of the Staff.

 

[musicnfossils]

11 hours ago, Fin Lover said:

I thought I was losing my mind...I know I saw it on here previously because it kept me from entering, but now it's not here.  

I’d say you should’ve thrown yours in anyway, personally I like to see everyone’s best recent finds it’s one of my favourite things about the contest. 
 

not trying to start a debate btw just my 2 cents! 

[Fin Lover]

@musicnfossils, I thought about it more and was going to, but I was down to the last day of the month, I had to figure out what epoch and formation it could have come from (found ex-situ where there are multiple formations), and I spent that day hunting, so I ran out of time. 

[Fin Lover]

And thanks for the explanation @JohnJ.  I can see where it would be a fine line between being transparent and upsetting the person whose entry was disqualified.  

[digit]

10 hours ago, Fin Lover said:

But, if the point is to celebrate and showcase the amazing finds, then why delete the entry completely and delete posts where people inquire about where it went?

Much of this was (hopefully) answered above. If the non-eligible entries were not removed from the submissions page and then were not made available as one of the list of candidates to vote on, it would likely be even more confusing. It is not uncommon for entries, that for one reason or another don't meet the rules for submission, get removed. Members rarely notice these moderations unless it is a memorable entry (as we have this month) and then our actions to make sure the entries adhere to the rules becomes more visible.

 

50 minutes ago, Fin Lover said:

I thought about it more and was going to, but I was down to the last day of the month, I had to figure out what epoch and formation it could have come from (found ex-situ where there are multiple formations), and I spent that day hunting, so I ran out of time. 

We would have felt bad if you had chosen to stay in, missing a (hopefully) great day of hunting, simply to try to research the age and formation of a find so that it could be entered in the monthly contest. There is an educational aspect to our FOTM contest and it allows members to see a selection of drool-worthy fossils that occur in a diversity of locations and from a wide geologic range. I can tell you that more than one fossil entry has made it onto my fossil wish list. The knowledge that a type of fossil is available in a state (or country) has in the past factored into my travel plans sometimes to meet-up with members who have brought these fossils to my attention. A proper ID (as detailed as can be reasonably expected) and geologic age and formation information allow us more information when we are voting for our choice. The contest would be much less fun (and educational) if people just entered an "unknown bone or tooth" they found. If it is your best find of the month we expect our curious members to want to learn more about the identity and age of their finds (and to share that when submitting their entry).

 

Hopefully, this little sidebar conversation will answer the questions of the curious and this discussion will not overshadow some brilliant finds this month. If you haven't voted yet, please make your selection for this month.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Fin Lover]

I would have missed a day of enjoyable but mediocre hunting AND I would have missed getting my first speeding ticket ever!  

 

You are right, there are probably a lot of entries that get removed that I have never noticed.  Morne's entries are usually quite memorable, though, and I watch the entries as they come in, now, versus waiting until the end of the month to look.  Thank you all for explaining...I was not trying to be argumentative or take any focus off the other amazing entries, just genuinely curious (and also glad that I was not actually losing my mind).

Edited June 3, 2023 by Fin Lover

[digit]

1 hour ago, Fin Lover said:

AND I would have missed getting my first speeding ticket ever!  

Ouch!

 

1 hour ago, Fin Lover said:

(and also glad that I was not actually losing my mind)

I don't think this is necessary and sufficient to make that call.

 

I haven't lost my mind....I just set it down somewhere and temporarily lost track of where it is.....

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken